Oscar Piastri won the F1 Sprint at the Qatar Grand Prix after Lando Norris yielded a winning position but Marc Priestley believes McLaren face a fight for the main race.
The Woking natives secured a one-two finish in the Sprint on Saturday as McLaren put some distance between themselves, Ferrari and Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Norris may have missed the drivers’ title but McLaren could claim their first teams’ title since 1998.
Piastri winning the Qatar Sprint after Norris yielded first place on their run to the chequered flag took McLaren 30 points ahead of Ferrari plus a further 37 clear of Red Bull. It is possible for the papaya crew to now clinch the crown in the Qatar GP if they leave it 45 points ahead.
Marc Priestley tips George Russell as a ‘threat’ for McLaren in the Qatar Grand Prix
But while Priestley doubts McLaren will fear Ferrari ahead of the Qatar GP, he does think the Woking squad for whom he once worked will face a fight with Mercedes’ George Russell. He put Piastri under stress throughout the Sprint, but lost out on a silver medal due to his start.
Piastri made a pivotal pass on Russell around the Briton’s outside at Turn 1 after getting the superior launch from the clean side of the grid. McLaren getting Norris to play a team game by backing off and gifting the Australian DRS then meant Russell would not complete a pass.
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Russell clearly had more pace than Piastri during the Qatar Sprint but was always just too far back to finish an overtake into T1. So, former McLaren mechanic Priestly expects the Woking outfit will face another fight with the Mercedes pilot in the Qatar GP, even if Ferrari struggle.
“George Russell for the Grand Prix tomorrow is a real threat to McLaren,” Priestley told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I don’t think McLaren will be too worried about the Ferraris. Max Verstappen is Max Verstappen and could always be a threat, although today he’s had a slight off day.”
McLaren need Oscar Piastri to improve his race pace at the Qatar GP
McLaren will hope Piastri has greater race pace in the Qatar Grand Prix than the 23-year-old managed in the F1 Sprint at the Lusail International Circuit. Norris had more in his locker yet had to ease his speed to support Piastri, before letting the Melbourne native through to win.
If Piastri cannot improve his race pace for the feature event, then Russell and Mercedes will take encouragement and set their sights on fighting Norris for a win. It worked in McLaren’s favour having two cars at the front in the 19-lap race yet Mercedes will expect to split them.
But if Piastri does improve his race pace even by a small margin to move closer to Norris and Russell, then McLaren could use their strategy against Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton is having a bad time at the Qatar GP. The seven-time champion was dejected after his P6 in the Sprint.
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